Hello All,
I hurt my back in 2002 at work. In 2004 I was in a car accident & it took out my back from L3-4 to L5-S1. I had a fusion with cages on 9/05 at L5- S1, on 3/06 i had screws & rods inserted & on 3/07 I had the hardware removed due to extreme pain. Well I havejust had a new MRI I have found out my L4-5 has totally herniated & on the nerve & L3-4 has a bulge with tear close tothe nerve. My surgon is telling me I need another fusion at L4-5 I he has to wait for the discogram to see about L3-4. My problem is I already have a fusion at L5-S1 what will happen to my mobility & bending if I have a fusion at the next level? This was my fear when I had the 1st fusion, that every level above would go. I refused a double layer fusion the 1st time around so nowq don't know what to do aout this fusion?
My thing is I have 2 boys adopted from Russia, the youngest(8) is special needs & my oldest son (10) has many problems also. I do allot of psychology & psychiatrist appt for my boys who are very active. It is very hard to keep up with them now, what will happen if I have this second fusion? Will I have stability? Will I have mobility? Will I be able to bend? Will the pain go away? I have had 3 surgeries & am still in extreem pain, pain meds don't work & strengthening don't work. I am 38 years old & never thought I would end up like this, I adopted my kids to enjoy them & I can't even do that because of the pain, mobility & stability issues now!
Any ideas or suggestion would be greatly appreciated right now. :confused:

Cindie

Cindie, I wanted to respond to you. I have two beautiful adopted children from Korea. They are 10 and 12 and the love of my life. They are what keep me moving each day.

I too have had s1/s2 fused without hardware in 1982, L5/s1 Laminectomy May 2006, L5/s1 February 2007 fusion with hardware and now am facing a fusion for L4/L5 and possible hardware removal. I will now more in a couple more weeks.

I stories are very similiar.

I too worry about the mobility, not being able to bend, future surgeries, etc. I think you really have to look at how much the pain is over taking you life. I know at this point that I have no other option but to move ahead with surgery. It is a cr@p shot!! I don't think the surgeon can even tell you what will happen. He does not know and can't predict the future.

I just do not have any words of wisdom except to say that I am sorry you are going thru this and that I can soooooo relate.

Good luck and hopefully some other people with longer fusions will post for both of us.

My heart goes out to you... Diet is right - only you can make this decision based on your pain level and Dr's predictions.
My husband has back problems for years: bulges, herniations, etc. But he would never go for surgery. Based on a good Drs opinions and some research, some bulges, herniations, tears are healing by themselves if people take care of it with PT, take it easy, regualar strethces, yoga, etc.
I had car accident in '03 and I had very bad tears shown on MRI. Buy the time when I had my fusion in 06 - tears healed by themselves.
Good luck to you. I wish you and your family the best.

Hi Diet & Thanks.
This is a very difficult situation to deal with. I swore afterb the 3rd surgery I would not have anymore! Now all this is happening to me, I am an avid gardener & grow my own flowers & veggies all year around in my little greenhouses. I have not been able to grow in the past 3 yrs due to being laid up from surgeries during seed starting season.
I feel for you because I know how you are feeling also!
]Thanks for answering me, I apprecite it.
I have been searching for info on the cons & pros of a 2 level fusion & have found nothing.(go figure)

Well as to PROS & CONS.. most are cons. The pros would be from us, that can attest to it helping or not.

But you have to think of yourself and your family. Weigh how your life will be now and without surgery and how you will be able to care for them without having the surgery and possibly things getting worse for you.

But surgery is a gamble. Yes, you will lose more flexibility, but it's not that drastic. I am an avid gardener myself.. it's my passion and my favorite place to be. So I understand having that be taken away.

I have been fortunate to get back out there this year and enjoyed every minute of it and have survived it too!

Do what you feel is best for you and your family. Everything else will fall into its proper place.

Thanks justoneofus,
I have been doing a bit of thinking about the pain & what it is doing to me & my family now. I am just not looking forward to another(4) surgery & being laid up for over a month again. If this surgey works & I will be pain free, beileve me I will be greatfull. But after 3 surgeries & 5 years of painful tests I am still in wicked pain, so I have many reservations about anymore surgeries.

Many people have a double fusion at L4-5 and L5-S1. These are the two most vunerable segments to wear down. Try not to be negative. You may loose some flexibility but what's the alternative-- living with constant pain or losing some flexibility--- I'd chose losing some flexibility. Plus, I read somewhere that they did a study where they took a group of patients having had L4-5 fusion only AND compared them to a group with double fusion. The results were very similar in terms of flexibility a few years later-- not much difference at all.
I've researched this because I'm in a similar boat except I have L4-5 fused and may be facing L5-S1 fusion.

Thanks apartipilo,
I'm not being negative, just scared. The L5-S1 fusion & the rods & screws were the most painful surgery I have had in my life & am not looking forward to that kind of pain again. I was laid up for a month & couldn't drive for over 2 months. My 2 boys were also neglected for almost 2 1/2 months due to my past 3 surgeries. I know I have to do what is best for me & my health but I also worry about my boys. They were neglected too much in their lives while in the Orphanages.
Thanks for the confidence, I really need it right now! :)

Hi Cindie,
We have a couple of families in our church who have adopted kids from Russia. Their stories of the lack of resources and care in the orphanages is just heartbreaking! I understand your concern for your boys. Do you have a support system close by? Are there any family members who can stay with you for a few weeks? If not, is there a way for you to have someone come in now to help out, maybe a teenage girl or two, so the boys will get used to having her/them around, and then hire them to be there after the surgery for you? It'd be like hiring a couple of babysitters to each take a few days a week to come over after school and just be there. Then while you're laid up, at least they'd have someone they're familiar with hanging out for a while each day so you won't feel like they're being neglected. You'd still be there, but someone else would be doing the physical stuff they need.

I really wouldn't worry about the flexibility issue. I'm fused from T4 to S and have just about zero flexibility, but I have no doubt I made the right decision. I'd rather be straight like this than have that pain! I can adjust to my lack of flexibility. It's a nuisance sometimes, but living in pain is much worse!

You have to weigh how bad your pain is against the difficulties of the recovery period. It's really a matter of which is the heavier burden. Having gone through it before, you know what the recovery will be like. I think you'll know when it's time.

I wish you the best as you make your decision. Let us know how you're doing.

Emily :wave: